One Dead After Stolen Ambulance Crashes Into 10 Vehicles: Police

An alleged carjacker is in critical condition with injuries suffered after he reportedly stole an ambulance and eventually crashed it into 10 vehicles, killing one person.

The Branchville Volunteer Fire Department ambulance was stolen at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday after its crew stopped to check on a driver who had pulled off I-495, reports NBC Washington.

The car’s driver then reportedly attacked the two-person crew and stole the ambulance, officials said.

“The volunteer firefighter/EMTs were visibly shaken but not injured,” said Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George’s Fire Department, in a blog post.

The stolen ambulance then went south on Route 495 and before exiting onto Kenilworth Avenue and then west on Greenbelt Road. Two blocks down Greenbelt Road and about 15 minutes after this incident started the stolen unit caused a multi-vehicle crash, Brady says.

At least three vehicles on Greenbelt Road at 62nd Avenue in Greenbelt were damaged, including a vehicle with a man and woman inside. The man suffered critical injuries and died shortly after arriving at a local hospital, Brady says. The woman was taken to a hospital with less serious injuries.

After crashing into the vehicles on Greenbelt Road, the ambulance careened down an embankment, rolling onto its side while striking at least seven unoccupied vehicles in the parking lot of a Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant.

The injured suspect was caught by police officers as he tried to get out of the ambulance and taken, under arrest, to a local hospital where police describe his injuries as critical.

A total of 11 vehicles were involved in the crashes, including the ambulance. Three people were treated or checked at the scene and did not go to the hospital, Brady says.

The Prince George’s County Police Department is investigating the crash.

The Branchville Volunteer Fire Company and Rescue Squad in College Park owns the ambulance. Branchville is one of nine all-volunteer stations out of 45 stations that operate within the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department.

Brady says the ambulance appears to be a total loss; a replacement unit will cost about $250,000. Branchville owns a second ambulance and has access to a county reserve ambulance if needed.

»A suspect stole and crashed a Branchville ambulance, killing one person and injuring several. PHOTO from the Prince George’s County Fire Department/Mark Brady